Top California Wine Tours

Some of the top California wine tours can be found right here in Sonoma County. Thanks to the diverse geography of Sonoma County, and the creativity of wineries and wine tour guides, visitors will find both spectacular views and intimate experiences in Sonoma County wine country.

Let’s look at a selection of Sonoma County’s best wine tours in two categories: tours offered by wineries, and multiple winery visits offered by tour companies.

Sonoma County Wine Cave Tours

On a hot day in Alexander Valley, it’s a cool 60 degrees or so in the wine cave at Alexander Valley Vineyards. The Wetzel family runs a down-home tasting room where they showcase fan-favorite Sin Zin and Cyrus, but they did splurge on a big tunnel through the adjacent hillside. Guided tours are offered for free, two times a day—barrel taste included.

Learn all about the highlights—and pitfalls—of “Count” Agoston Haraszthy’s legendary wine career while touring hand-chiseled Tokay-style champagne cellars at this historic Sonoma winery. Buena Vista was founded in 1858, and the cellars were recently, and expensively, restored to allow visitors to experience this historic California landmark.

Offered for free, on the hour from 11am to 3pm, Kunde’s guided cave tours are free, and include a rare glimpse, in a chapel-like setting, at the fascinating rock structure that lies beneath the winery’s hillside vineyards.

Sonoma County Vineyard Tours

Benziger occupies such a beautiful location on Sonoma Mountain, it was a film location for the Keanu Reeves movie, A Walk in the Clouds. But there’s more than beauty on offer with the winery’s daily tram tours: committed to biodynamic farming on this estate property, the winery makes sure that the stops on the fun “tram” tour, pulled by tractors, are educational. Be on the lookout for charismatic, long-haired Scottish Highland cattle.

Renowned for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, which are restaurant favorites nationwide, Jordan added an estate tour and tasting to give visitors a more intimate look at their home in Sonoma County. In the comfort of a luxury tour bus, tour-goers ride along dusty roads through rugged cattle country and vineyards, stopping by a tranquil pond for an educational tasting, and arriving at a high-style gazebo with 360-degree views of Alexander Valley for the main course.

It may be one of the graybeards of Sonoma County wineries, but Gun-Bun has become a fun destination winery offering both cave tours and open-air rides for adventuresome visitors in their Pinzgauer, a funky Austrian military vehicle.

Bus, Bike, and Alternative Tours in Sonoma County

Flexibility is key with Platypus, as well as insider info about Sonoma County wine country. Individuals and small groups can hop on and off the bus at public locations and arrange to be picked up at their hotel, or book a charter tour for groups.

Seen throughout California wine country, this full-service company operates not only the familiar motor coaches, but also vehicles from hybrid sedans to stretch limos. Your ultimate large party and corporate group transportation, Pure Luxury puts together customized private tours.

An antique-styled alternative to the luxury bus, the Wine Trolley operates a hand-built replica of an 1890s San Francisco cable car for groups up to 28, and daily tours through the Sonoma Valley area. Get on at Sonoma Plaza, visit four wineries, and have a picnic lunch by local gourmet favorite restaurant girl & the fig.

There is so much great food and wine on offer in Sonoma County, active visitors might want to consider a six-day luxury bicycle tour with Getaway Adventures to help work it off. Fully supported, but with challenging ride options that include parts of Levi Leipheimer’s Gran Fondo route, the ride includes meals, baggage transportation and, of course, great Sonoma County wine.

For an easy, self-guided tour on mostly flat ground, visitors seeking an easy ride to wineries, without much traffic, can spend an afternoon on the West County Regional Trail. Winding through the beautiful, cooler-climate Green Valley of Russian River Valley appellation, the West County Trail is mostly off-road but paved, and passes by “secret” entrances to local wineries and one maker of refreshing, top-notch sparkling wine.